Chapter 15
Mia
The week has flown by. Friday afternoon is here, and the office is almost empty as people check out to start their weekend a few hours early. Emily quit yesterday, but Rachel is holding her own. She has adopted the avoidance tactic and associates with everyone but Mr. Ashby. One of the senior marketers has taken a shine to her, so it will probably work for her.
I, on the other hand, have taken the head-on approach. Whenever Mr. Ashby turns around, I’m there and am two steps ahead of him. His snide comments have much less sting to them when I can stand there and sweetly make him look like a jerk. In a meeting earlier today, one of his partners laughed when the moment he opened his mouth to say something snarky, I stood up and addressed the room with the numbers he was about to rudely ask for.
I’m feeling pretty good. I feel like I have gotten my feet under me and while I am still fetching coffee and running errands more than I would like, I’m getting a feel for what it would be like to actually work here. I like the pace and intensity. I like the discussions about how to make something better or bigger. Garrett was right, too. Lucas Ashby may be an arrogant asshole, but his business sense cannot be doubted. I’ve learned quite a bit just hanging around him for the last week. It almost makes up for all the crap he has made me wade through- almost.
I have one last thing to finish before I can call it a day. I want to get the presentation folders put together for Monday afternoon’s meeting. Normally, we do everything on iPads and the smart board. However, this client is an older man and Lucas shrewdly requested everything be done old school. I can see the wisdom in it. I file it away under the ‘know thy client’ rule.
The copy room is empty. I am rummaging through cabinets looking for some binders to put the presentation notes in.
“Mia.”
I jump and spin around, startled. I had been in my own little world. “Oh! Mr. Ashby, you scared me!” I take a breath or two to calm myself and smooth down my jacket and slacks that are slightly out of place from searching in cabinets. “Do you need something? Shouldn’t you be out on the golf course by now?”
He gives me a half smile and takes several steps into the room so he is standing close to me- too close. The copier is at my back, and I have no place to go. I stand my ground and meet his eye. Surely, he isn’t going to try to kiss me.
“I’ve told you, call me Lucas. I’ve been very impressed with you this week, Mia.” He doesn’t try to touch me. He just stands in my space, crowding me.
“Well, I appreciate that Mr. Ashby,” I say, stressing the proper address. “I could totally tell how happy you are with my performance when you told me that a chimpanzee can add faster than I can.” That insult had been so stupid, it hadn’t stung. Actually, none of his little comments had had much effect on me lately.
“You’ve got great potential, Mia, but you need to learn to play nice. I can teach you. There is so much I can teach you.” He leans in and kisses me softly and when I don’t respond, with rising intensity.
I manage not to punch him, but I twist my face away and give him a mighty shove. It forces him back a couple of steps- which is all I needed. I push quickly past him and stop to look back at him from the doorway. “Mr. Ashby, you might have had some luck with interns in the past, but if you touch me again, I’ll rip your dick off and shove it down your throat. You have a great weekend. I’ll have your reports ready for Monday’s meeting.”
I make myself walk to my little cubby to grab my purse. My hands are shaking so badly that I have some trouble getting the combination of my lock correct. Finally, I have my purse and flee to the safety of the elevator. I am in full flight mode when the doors ding and open. I barrel out without looking where I am going and collide with a tall, hard body.
Garrett’s arms are around me, keeping us both from falling as I careen into him. I know it is him without even looking up. I don’t even pause to wonder why he is there. I just bury my face in his chest and hold on to him.
“Easy, baby. What’s going on? Mia, look at me,” he puts some edge in his voice, and it penetrates my reeling brain. I look up with tears swimming in my eyes. “I’ll kill him,” he growls, correctly interpreting my distress.
I swipe at my eyes, embarrassed and angry with myself. I push away from him, putting some distance between us. As always, he lets me go easily but stays close to me. I am still shaking, but I suspect some of it is in response to Garrett and not just my fury at Lucas. “What are you doing here,” I demand. It is a public building where he does have legitimate business, I remind myself. I try not to feel so happy to see him, but the truth is, I really am happy to see him. The week has been a whirlwind and seeing Garrett just seems to press the pause button somewhere inside me.
He looks a little shamefaced for a second before saying, “I came to talk to Lucas about something, but I was hoping I would catch you in time to ask if you wanted to have dinner tonight. I didn’t really think I was going to ‘catch’ you,” he adds with a smile that makes me smile back automatically. The smile doesn’t stick though, and I bite my lips to keep them from trembling. A dark look crosses his eyes before he softens them. “Instead of dinner, how about a milkshake? There is a great little ice cream shop down the street.”
I sniff and smile, trying to get control of my emotions. “Don’t you have business to take care of,” I ask, trying to decide why I feel so sappy because he just offered to take me for an ice cream.
“I don’t think it is safe for me to be in the same room as Lucas right now. Besides, you need my attention far more right now.” He tucks my unresisting hand in the crook of his arm and towed me toward the door.